Jazz with Maureen Malloy

The best in acoustically driven jazz, featuring swing, bop, post-bop, cool and beyond from the classic sessions of yesterday and the new cats of today. Don't miss the Jazz Hot 11 on Mondays at 10:30 pm.

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Latest From ICON Magazine

3:38 pm

Thu December 11, 2014

As a cultural institution, the Blue Note in NYC's Greenwich Village is surprisingly small. It’s a long, shotgun room with a snug stage set midway down against the left wall - the jazz club’s glowing blue neon logo centered as a backdrop. Tables line up front in tight formation and fan out to the left and right with as many patrons squeezed into place as the room can hold.

Since it's always about the music, there’s a collective understanding why you’re there. And last February, it was all about the man of the hour—the one and only, bassist Ron Carter.

As jazz's best-known father figure, the senior Marsalis has four noted musical offspring: Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. But if you consider all the musicians he's taught or mentored, his clan is even more extensive, diverse and influential.

I talked to six musicians who gave us the long view of the Marsalis family tree, and how they were schooled by its patriarch.

Creatively Speaking

1:05 pm

Tue December 2, 2014

Philadelphia Jazz Project is promoting the Mysterious Travelers Concert Series at the Free Library. It features free monthly concerts running through April 2015. Above is drummer Wayne Smith, Jr, performing on December 8th at 7 pm.

A former WRTI host stays close to jazz with an organization designed to extend its reach. WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston speaks with the founder of the Philadelphia Jazz Project.

Have popular “performance spectacles” replaced the straightforward dance between a jazz artist and an instrument? Director of the Philadelphia Jazz Project, Homer Jackson, is considering that question and innovative approaches to the performance of music that has often depended upon an intimate feel - and feeling.

WRTI Spotlight

12:06 pm

Mon November 24, 2014

With Thanksgiving at hand, memories of holidays past begin to fill our minds. Over the river and through the woods. Friends, family, and groaning boards of food. Telling and retelling stories. And more food. It’s that second helping that makes Thanksgiving so special.

So WRTI, an old friend, and one you consider family, will be offering second helpings throughout Thanksgiving Day...just for you. Each hour a favorite composer will be featured twice to warm and comfort you.

Last weekend, at a sold-out, star-studded gala concert in Hollywood, Pharrell Williams and Herbie Hancock remixed Williams' hit "Happy," Kevin Spacey served up a compelling Frank Sinatra imitation singing "Fly Me To The Moon" and former President Bill Clinton offered a heartfelt reminiscence about his early days as a John Coltrane wannabe. ("Sometimes frustrated jazz musicians end up in another line of work and it ends up pretty good," he joked.) The opener was a jazz concert: Three virtuosic young trumpet players — Adam O'Farrill, Billy Buss and Marquis Hill — deftly negotiated standards.

Mon October 20, 2014

Rotem Sivan is one reason why listening to jazz is so rewarding. And without a doubt, Sivan's new release, For Emotional Use Only, is one of the great guitar albums in recent memory. Affable in the extreme, this Israeli-born, New York-based musician evokes the better balladry of Pat Metheny and relaxed swing of Kenny Burrell, two obvious inspirations, yet his confident playing style and refreshing compositions marry that astute sense of swing with unabashed romanticism.

Creatively Speaking

6:26 pm

Fri October 10, 2014

In the midst of preparing for some shows at the Clef Club, world-famous yet homegrown bassist Christian McBride graciously stopped by the WRTI studios on October 2nd to chat with WRTI jazz host Bob Craig. And boy, are we glad he did!

In case you missed it, here are some clips from the wonderful conversation Bob had with Christian McBride. Check them out!